Possum
In the failing sunlight at the end of the day, a possum approaches the tree I’m watching.
It climbs up the trunk onto a large horizontal branch, mostly obscured by the scant foliage in the evening light.
Approaches a large cavity in the limb.
And disappears inside, its rat-tail momentarily still visible.
One might think it’s in for the night, but possums (opossums) are nocturnal, so it was probably just a late day nap in preparation for a big night.
The Reddish Egret
This is what it looks like.
What it looks like when it’s white instead of red, and running around the shallows like a madman.
And what it looks like when it’s scratching behind its ear.
Meanwhile
The holiday jigsaw puzzle roars toward completion.
Look. It’s almost done!
Loggerhead Shrike
It’s a small songbird, but it’s carnivorous. It’s known as the “Butcher Bird” because it catches its prey, normally small mammals like mice or large insects like grasshoppers or beetles, and skewers them on thorn bushes or barbed wire fences to hang there until it’s time to eat them.
I thought this prey was probably a mouse because that’s what they normally eat, but no. It’s a warbler.
It’s eating a warbler!
Count remaining. 221.